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Salopek told the state his groups would sweeten the offer by providing the $3,000 to $5,000 for the wildflowers, and worker bees, in the form of volunteers, to plant them.

But, he said, the DOT stung him by nixing the idea Dec. 18 “without explanation.”

Salopek said he was told at one point that safety was an issue, although he says both exits are accessible from surface roads.

The beekeepers’ groups say they’ve been abuzz for years about the worldwide crash in bee populations. The median projects provide free land for the wildflowers, which he said attract hives of pollinators; not just bees but wasps, hummingbirds, butterflies and even bats. Salopek said the state already plants wildflowers on other parts of the Turnpike.